The Iranian government's recent ban on Barbie dolls shows the government's desire to move away from the West. The blonde bombshell was added to the growing list of Western things Iran has banned. The Prosecturor General, Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi, expressed his desire to proect Iran's "Islamic culture".
"The displays of personalities such as Barbie, Batman, Spiderman and Harry Potter... as well as the irregular importation of unsanctioned computer games and movies are all warning bells to officials in the cultural arena," he wrote, according to a copy of the letter seen by Associated Press (<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7371771.stm>).
All women in Iran, including tourists, must abide by the laws governing their clothes. Women must wear clothing that covers their hair, long-sleeved jackets that go down to their knees, and pants that do not show even the slightest peek of ankle.
What Najafabadi forgot to mention was the Iranian people's strong disdain towards Islam, not to mention their passion for anything Western. Walking down the streets in Tehran, Iran, one can see all sorts of tributes to American culture. With coffee shops called "Teen" and t-shirts that have a large alligator across the chest instead of a monogrammed one, meaning is lost in translation. But the intent is not.
The symbols of America are a not-so-subtly middle finger to these government officials. Also on the streets are Islamic government officials on the prowl, sniffing out hijabs that show the hairline, or blouses that show a woman's wrists.
And now the ultimate symbol of American woman to Iranian girls, the Barbie, has been banned. This ban follows a ban earlier this year on the liberal women's magazine, Zanan, in February.
Since the Islamic revolution, cable television that accessed non-Iran shows were deemed illegal. People enthralled in Days of Our Lives had to peek outside their doors, wait until no one was around, then sneak the signal into their home.
Even certain websites were recently banned in the country, including peer-to-peer file sharing networks, social networks, and even digial journals. If someone in Iran typed in www.thefacebook.com, a warning banner would appear saying that the site was "inappropriate", "crude", and a number of other things.
Even the government realized that direct bans were extreme. It tried to create substitutes for the contraband items. In 2002 an Iranian government agency introduced Sara and Dara, the Islamic substitute to Barbie and Ken. The toy did not sell well and disappeared over the past six years.
With declining Sara and Dara sales, the passion of the Iranian youth has grew. Today, underground book clubs and social scenes make up teen nightlife. Much of the Iranian youth disagrees with the government's strict rules and as the government continues to ban the West, the youth rebellions grow.
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